Child of Gotham
by cmoreno100
Summary: Richard Grayson's life has been marred by tragedy and by Gotham City, but a chance encounter with the City's masked protector puts him on a path that will eventually lead to his improbable destiny. Story starts from Batman Begins and ends post-Dark Knight
1. Fear

**Child of Gotham**

_By: CJM_

_Disclaimer: Batman and other related characters are owned and copyright of DC Comics. They are being used here for non-profit entertainment only._

**Part I: Fear**

_The Narrows:_

"You're drunk, Frank. I've told you not to come home like that again."

"Shut up, bitch!"

"Don't talk to me like that!"

Dick Grayson tries to cover his ears, but he can still hear them. Once again, his mom's boyfriend is drunk and taking out his frustrations on Dick's mom. Dick wishes they could go, leave the damn brute once and for all. But he knows that his mom has no money, and at least the man does not come home drunk _every_ day.

Things were not always like this. Dick Grayson is the son of two circus acrobats: John and Mary Grayson. They taught their son the trade early on, and by the time he was seven, he had joined them in their shows. They travelled with the circus to many cities performing their trapeze act. Two years ago, the circus reached Gotham City. Then, something terrible happened. During the first show, the high wire snapped while Dick's dad was doing his "no net" routine. Dick could only watch as his father plunged to his death.

Overcome with grief, Mary Grayson was unable to perform again. With nowhere else to go, she and Dick settled in Gotham City. The little money she had ran out before she could get a decent job. About that time, she met Frank, and eventually they moved in to his apartment. Dick does not like the man, the feeling being mutual, but realizes that his mom has little choice but to stay with him.

The shouting continues and Dick cannot take it any longer. He runs to the dining room, opens the window and crawls out to the fire escape stairs. Suddenly, he feels someone looking at him. He turns, and just a few feet from him is a man dressed in black, with a cowl and a black cape.

"It's you, isn't it? Everybody's been talking about you." Dick tells the Batman. Inside the apartment, the man shouts to him "You, get in here!" Dick ignores the man.

"The other kids won't believe me", he tells Batman. The Batman takes a long black object, folds it, and throws it to Dick. The boy smiles, but Batman does not smile back. He climbs up and in a second, is out of sight.

"Boy, I said get in here! Get me a beer from the fridge." The man shouts from inside.

"Leave him alone!" Dick hears his mom say, but he is not paying attention.

"Cool", he says to himself, as he examines the object in his hands.

* * *

"You are so full of it, Grayson."

"I'm telling you guys, I saw him!", Dick repeated, "And I can prove it!".

Dick Grayson opened his backpack and took out a black object.

"He gave me this." He handed it to Billy. The other two boys got closer to take a look. After a minute, John gave Dick a puzzled look.

"What is it?"

"I think it's a special camera or something." Dick responded. Just then, Brad barged in, as usual.

"What are you losers up to?"

Before Dick could tell his friends to be quiet, Billy opened his mouth.

"Grayson here says he saw the batman, and that he gave him this thing here."

"Billy, shut up…" Dick scolded him. Brad smiled and took the strange object from Billy's hands.

"What this?" he said amused.

"Give it back, Brad!" Dick tried to grab it, but Brad pushed him towards the wall.

He examined the object for a second, then threw it to the ground, laughing.

"I think it's broken."

Dick glared at him, then lunged towards Brad. The other kids stepped aside and started shouting.

"Fight!" Billy shouted. The two boys rolled on the ground, hitting each other. Brad was bigger in size than Dick, and soon was on top of him, slapping his face.

"Give up yet?" Brad said.

"Uh-uh" Dick replied, grabbing Brad and rolling him over until Dick was on top of him. Dick started slapping him.

"Give up? Gonna cry, big guy?' Dick teased.

Suddenly. Mr. Watkins arrived.

'Break it up! What are you boys doing?" He grabbed Dick in one arm, and Brad in another.

"Brad Jones, I should have known. But you, Mr. Grayson? You disappoint me."

"He started it!" Dick screamed.

"Did not!" Brad responded.

"Enough! You are both going to the principal's office, and I'm calling your parents."

Dick's face changed from anger to fear.

"Please, Mr. Watkins, don't call my mom, she'll tell him!" he pleaded.

"What, you're scared, Grayson? Gonna cry now, _Dick_?" Brad teased.

"I said enough! Let's go." Mr. Watkins said, shoving both boys towards the main office.

* * *

"Want to tell me what happened?", Mrs. Grayson said. Dick shook his head no.

"You're gonna tell him, aren't you?" He told his mom timidly. She sighed.

"Honey, I know Frank is not the best man to have around, but right now we are broke and have nowhere else to go. At least he can put bread on the table."

"Why can't we go back on the road, like before with Dad? Aren't there other traveling circus?"

"You know that's not an option, Son…"

He looked out the window at the spectacle that was The Narrows. Only despair and poverty looked back.

"I miss Dad, that's all."

"I know honey, me too."

After a moment of silence, she turned towards her son.

"I won't tell Frank that you got in trouble, ok? Just promise me it won't happen again. I'm not taking you to martial arts classes so you can fight other kids in your school. Ok?"

"Ok, I promise."

* * *

Mary Grayson sat in front of the TV, nervously tapping on the remote.

"Dick, come here!"

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Someone let all the patients escape from Arkham Asylum."

"That place two blocks from here, the one for crazy criminals?"

"Yes. The police are trying to capture them. They're telling people to stay in their homes."

Just then, they heard some screams from the next door apartment.

"What was that?"

"I don't know. It sounded like Mrs. Smith from next door."

A muffled scream was heard, then a series of crashing sounds.

"Oh my God, I think they're in the building…" Mrs. Grayson whispered.

"I'm scared, mom." Dick whispered back.

She silently cursed Frank for not being there right now, guessing he was at the bar with his friends.

"Honey, I want you to go out the fire escape and down to the street."

"What? You're coming too, right?"

"I'll be right behind you, honey. I just need to get something." She said, trying to remember where Frank hid his gun.

"Get what?" he asked. Then, they heard footsteps just outside their door.

"Do as I say, son, now!" she said as quietly as she could. He ran towards the window, while she ran back to her room. Quickly, she opened Frank's drawers, found the gun, and ran towards the dining room. By then, Dick had gone down two floors. Just as she passed by the front door, it opened with a loud bang. She screamed, then turned and aimed the gun towards the person in the hallway.

"Stay back or I'll blow your brains out!" she shouted.

The man laughed, and walked in. She could now see that he was dressed in prisoner garb.

"Lady, I bet that gun ain't even loaded."

Mrs. Grayson's heart skipped a beat. She had forgotten to get the ammo.

Someone shouted from the other side of the hallway.

"Hurry up, man!"

The man smiled, walked closer to Mrs. Grayson, and shouted back.

"Relax, man. I think we just found us a gun."

* * *

Dick saw a group of police officers and walked towards them.

"I can't find my mom" He said, but the guard pushed him away.

Rachel Dawes, who was walking by looking for a way out of the Narrows, saw this and scolded the officer. "Hey!" she said to guard, "What the hell are you doing?".

Just then, Ra's al Ghul came out of the SWAT van "Gentlemen, time to spread the word. And the word is…panic."

He turned on a strange-looking machine, which emitted a loud hum. Suddenly, street manholes started blowing off and clouds of steam shot up into the night.

The white gas covered the street. People started running and screaming. Rachel grabbed the boy and tried to ease his fear.

"It's okay". She said. Rachel knew exactly what was in the steam: Scarecrow's fear toxin. Batman inoculated her, but the boy in her arms had no such protection.

* * *

_Dick Grayson is back in the circus show. He knows exactly what night this is. About two years ago, when he was eight years old. They were doing their trapeze routine, when his father's trapeze rope broke. Dick screams as he sees his Dad fall to his death. _

* * *

Rachel felt the boy trembling and crying in her arms. She knew the fear toxin makes you see your greatest fear. Helpless, she could only hold him tighter.

"It's okay. It's okay. No one's going to hurt you."

As if on cue, the Scarecrow appeared riding on a horse.

"Of course they are!" he shouted.

"Crane?"

"No. Scarecrow."

Rachel took the boy and they ran into an alley. They could still hear the galloping of the horse in the distance. Several minutes later, satisfied that they had lost him, the pair emerged back onto the main street.

Suddenly, they heard the horse once again.

"There you are." The scarecrow said. His horse rose up on two legs. Still under the influence of the toxin, Dick saw flames coming out of the horse's nostrils.

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself." The scarecrow said menacingly. "I am here to…"

Tired of running, Rachel took out her taser gun and shot, hitting scarecrow's mask. The man screamed as the spooked horse ran away.

However, the commotion had drawn attention to themselves. The street was teeming with escaped convicts from Arkham. One of them was a serial killer known by some as Mr. Zsasz. He recognized the D.A. that helped put him in lockup.

Taking out his knife, he walked towards them while other escaped convicts looked on. Dick grabbed Rachel tighter.

"Batman will save us. He'll come." He said.

Rachel took a gun from an unconscious policeman and aimed it at Zsasz

"He'll come" Dick repeated.

"Don't peek" Rachel told him as Zsasz kept getting closer.

Suddenly, Batman dropped out of nowhere and landed on top of Zsasz. The Batman then grabbed Rachel and the boy, and used his retractable rope to take them both up to a nearby roof.

Dick started feeling better as soon as he was out of the steam cloud. Sitting on the roof floor, he looked at Batman, then at Rachel.

"I told you he'd come". He told her. Batman looked at the boy but gave away no emotion. He stepped on the ledge and got ready to jump down to the street.

"Wait. You could die." Rachel told the Batman. "At least tell me your name."

Batman looked at her, and slowly said: "It's not who I am underneath, but what I _do_, that defines me."

"Bruce?" she exclaimed, as he jumped down and was gone.

Gliding through the air, Batman shouted as loud as he could. The people below, still under the influence of the toxin, saw a bat-like figure with fiery eyes. Scared, they ran for cover, even the escaped Arkham convicts. One of them, Jervis Tetch, a homicidal lunatic, saw the black figure above and started singing:

_"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!/How I wonder what you're at!/ "Up above the world you fly/Like a tea-tray in the sky./ Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!/How I wonder what you're at!"_

* * *

Rachel turned back towards the boy. He seemed to be doing better now that he was out of the steam cloud below. Rachel figured that the toxin in the air was not as concentrated as what she experienced, thus making for only a temporary effect.

"What's your name?" Rachel asked.

"Richard." He answered

"Hi, Richard, I'm Rachel." The boy still looked frightened, so she tried to make small talk as a way to calm him down.

"Hi."

"How old are you?"

"I'm ten."

"So you're in…let's see…fourth grade?"

He nodded silently.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked, apparently tired of the small talk.

"I guess we wait. It's not safe to go down to the street right now, but I'm sure Batman and the cops will get things under control soon."

Rachel sat down next to the kid. He looked unconvinced by her reassurances.

"What about my mom?" he asked.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"At our apartment, like half an hour ago."

He told her about what happened, and she tried to reassure him that his mom was safe, probably hiding somewhere.

"Do you live alone with your mom?"

"No, she has a boyfriend, Frank. He's not my dad."

"Where's your dad?"

"He died two years ago."

"I'm sorry."

They sat silently for a few minutes.

"I hope my mom's okay", he said suddenly. Rachel put her arm around him.

"Me too." She said.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.


	2. Sorrow

**Part 2: Sorrow**

_**Innocence, once lost, can never be regained. -The Sandman: Season of Mists**_** by Neil Gaiman**

It had been five months since the Narrows incident. For Richard Grayson, it was five months since an escaped Arkham convict had taken his mother's life, five months since his life descended into turmoil. After his mom passed away, her boyfriend promptly left town, not wanting to be stuck with a 10-year old kid. The police eventually caught the man that killed Mary Grayson, but that did not change the fact that he was now an orphan.

Rachel Dawes used her contacts to get Richard into the best children's group home in town, which in Gotham, was not saying much. The St. Mary's Group Home had a long history in Gotham. It was still run by the same order of nuns as when it opened its doors decades ago.

The nuns watched over the children with a stern hand but a gentle heart. They tried to reach out to Richard, but he was mostly silent and kept to himself, consumed by his grief. The only thing he seemed to look forward to was his martial arts classes twice a week.

Richard looked out the window impatiently. If she did not arrive soon, they would be late again, and he did not want to be late. Finally, he saw the car in the distance. Running downstairs, he was at the main entrance in seconds. On his way out, he passed the janitor and almost tripped with his mop bucket.

"Watch it, boy!" the janitor shouted, but Richard paid no attention. The guard opened the gate, and Richard ran out to the car. He opened the passenger door and got in.

"Sorry I'm late." Rachel said.

"It's okay." Richard was never mad at her, even when she was late. He was happy that she cared enough to take him to practice twice a week.

"So, how are things?"

"Same. The nuns give us way too much homework. The boys are all jerks. The girls don't want anything to do with the boys. The janitor still creeps me out. You know, same."

"Well, at least you know what to expect, huh?"

"I guess." He slumped in his seat.

"It's not going to be like that always, kid. I'm sure soon they will find a nice foster family for you."

"Nobody's gonna want an eleven year old kid, Ms. Dawes. I'm too old." He said, resigned.

"I don't believe that. Things will be okay in the end, you'll see."

* * *

That night, Richard woke up in the middle of the night sweating; another Scarecrow nightmare. He sighed and stood up. They'd be no more sleep tonight. He walked through the large room that served as the boy's dormitory, trying not to hit any beds in the darkness. He silently opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

Slowly, he walked towards the kitchen and a cold glass of milk. As he walked past one of the floor to ceiling windows, something caught his eye. Walking out of the orphanage were two lone figures, one clearly a small child. He moved closer to the window and in the moonlight could barely make out the creepy janitor, and little girl holding his hand.

"Hey!" Richard shouted, but they did not hear him. Quickly, he ran downstairs towards the night watchman's office. He opened the door, and then stood in horror at the scene before him. The night watchman lay dead on the floor in a pool of blood. He turned away and ran towards the front door. The door was open, and he looked out to the street. In the distance, he could see the two figures walking gingerly along.

Richard hesitated for a second. If he tried to go get help, he would lose sight of the pair.

"What else can I do? I'm only a kid." He thought to himself. Then, he remembered the words that would be forever etched in his heart. _It's not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me._

Richard ran outside into the night.

* * *

"Can I get you something to eat, honey?" Jervis Techt told the little girl. He was a short man, about 5'2", with an aura around him of not being quite all there.

"Yes, please. I am a little hungry." The little girl replied. They were inside an abandoned office building, in a small room illuminated by candles.

"You said I was going to meet my new family. Are they coming here?" the little girl asked impatiently.

"Oh yes. Let me get you something to eat and I'll show you." He said as he walked out of the room.

Jervis Techt had a normal life once. Once upon a time, he was a renowned clinical psychologist. He was married and had a little daughter called Alice. She was his everything, his little angel. They used to read books every night. Her favorite book was Alice in Wonderland, because the heroine shared her name.

Unfortunately, one day, Alice and her mom were in a terrible car accident and did not survive the crash. Jervis Techt took the deaths very hard. He went into depression, refused to work or eat, and had to be hospitalized to force him to do so. His mind gave way and eventually he succumbed into what doctors described as schizophrenia. He would hear strange voices in his head, and see things others did not. His relatives placed him in a mental hospital and slowly neglected to even visit. Soon, he started displaying multiple personalities, at least one of them being extremely violent. On a hot summer night, he started shouting that he had to get out of the hospital. Two attendants tried to stop him, but were unsuccessful. He wrestled both to the ground and beat them mercilessly. In the end, one attendant lay dead and the second one severely injured. Jervis Techt managed to escape, but was eventually apprehended by police. This time, they locked him up in the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, where Dr. Jonathon Crane experimented with him on several occasions.

After the walls of Arkham were blown open, Jervis Techt escaped into the sewers and abandoned buildings of Gotham. He wandered around for weeks, until in an unusual moment of sanity, decided that all he needed to fix his life was to find another Alice, another little girl he could protect, read books to, and love. At that moment, he came up with the plan to work part-time as a janitor at a children's group home, so he could find an Alice in need of a father. He got the job at the St. Mary's orphanage, and somehow managed to control his violent impulses just enough. The nuns noticed he acted strangely sometimes, on occasion seeming like a completely different person. But he was a good worker and kept to himself, so they looked the other way.

One day, he finally saw his Alice. A little girl arrived at the group home that looked remarkably similar to his late daughter. Slowly, he befriended the little girl, gaining her confidence, and told her that he would find a good family to take her in. And so it was that on this night, he woke up the little girl, and told her that he had found a good family, that they needed to leave immediately to meet them, and she believed him.

Jervis Techt walked back in the room. He was wearing a tall hat, and had a metal tray with a children's tea set.

"It's tea time!" he said, with an English accent. He sat down next to the girl. "Do you want some tea, Alice?"

"My name is not Alice." She replied. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"We're playing pretend. You see, I'm the Mad Hatter and you are Alice. Alice was her favorite story."

"Who's favorite story?" she asked. "I'm confused."

"Just play along, dear." He whispered.

"Now, here is your cup of tea." He passed her a teacup.

"I'm too old for these games, Mister Lewis." At this, Jervis's face changed, and he shouted angrily.

"You're never too old for tea!"

The little girl gasped, and looked at Jervis with wide eyes.

"You're scaring me, Mr. Lewis." She said, and felt tears beginning to form. "Where's my new family?"

He got up angrily and stormed out of the room.

The little girl stood up, looking around for a way out, but did not know what to do. Suddenly, a small figure ran into the room.

"Shhh" Richard whispered. She then recognized him, from seeing him around the orphanage. "I'm here to help you escape." He said.

Richard saw her smile, but then her face turned pale and her mouth opened wide. Richard quickly turned around and saw the creepy janitor standing by the door.

"What do you think you are doing, boy?" he said menacingly.

"We're getting out of here!" Richard shouted back. His voice was firm, but inside he was scared to death.

"Oh, I don't think so." Jervis said. The man reached in to his pockets. Richard knew he had little time, so he quickly took the metal tray, and in an instant threw it at Jervis' face, hitting him in the mouth.

"Aaahhh, you filthy rat!" Jervis said, as he reached up and felt blood in his mouth. Before the man could react, Richard ran towards him and hit him with a flying kick. Jervis hit the floor before he knew what hit him.

"Let's go!" Richard yelled at the little girl. She grabbed his hand and they ran out of the room. They reached the dark hallway and quickly went down the stairs. They were four stories high, and as they made it to the second floor, they could hear Jarvis's footsteps behind them.

"He's coming!" the girl told Richard.

"I know, hurry!".

They finally made it to the ground floor, and headed towards the lobby entrance. There was an old glass door that led to the street outside. Richard pushed the door, but it would not open.

"It's locked! We have to go out the way I came in."

When he was following Jarvis and the girl, he saw them enter the building from the back, where there was an old door with a hole big enough to crawl in. Richard looked around and finally saw the back door on the other side of the lobby.

"There!" He pointed, and they ran towards it. They could still hear Jervis's footsteps, and soon saw him come down the stairs.

"Stop, don't leave!" he screamed.

Richard turned to the little girl and pointed towards the opening.

"Go! I'll distract him!" The little girl nodded and crawled outside. Richard knew that there was not enough time for him to get out too, so he ran, trying to find somewhere to hide.

"There's nowhere to hide, boy! You're gonna pay for stealing my Alice!"

The lobby was so dark that Richard could not see where he was going. He stumbled over abandoned furniture and old boxes. He could hear Jervis stumbling around too. Somehow, Richard found himself once more by the front glass door, looking out towards the safety of the street, but not able to reach it. He banged on the glass and shouted for help, but the street was deserted.

"Help me, somebody!" He kicked the glass hard, and it finally cracked.

"Yes!" he thought. Just then, he felt two hands grab him from behind, and toss him to the floor. Richard hit his head against a column, and he yelled in pain.

"Aahhh!" His head was throbbing, and he felt his eyes starting to lose focus.

Jervis stepped in front of him, the moonlight hitting him from behind and making him look more deranged.

"Bad idea following me here, kid. You give me no choice."

Richard was still on the floor, and saw Jervis pull a gun out of his pocket.

Just then, the glass door shattered into pieces, and a black figure crashed in and landed on top of Jervis. Richard saw the black figure wrestle the gun away from Jervis's hand. The Mad Hatter lunged at Batman, but he deftly blocked the attack, and then landed an uppercut to the Hatter's jaw. Richard blacked out just as the Mad Hatter's body hit the floor with a thud.

When he came to, there was a black figure leaning on top of him.

"…Batman?" Richard said, as he recognized his savior.

"You're going to be okay, kid."

"Where's the girl?" Richard asked.

"She's safe. Come with me." Batman said.

Richard got up and saw that the creepy janitor was unconscious and tied up against one of the columns.

"I've called the police. They'll come pick him up." Batman said as they walked past him and out to the street.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Richard Grayson, sir."

"How's your head, Richard?" Batman said as he felt the boy's head for injuries.

"It's ok, pain is going away…"

"You should still see a doctor to check it out."

"How did you…?" Richard asked.

"I saw the little girl running in the street. She told me you saved her, but were still trapped inside the building. That was a brave thing to do, but foolish. You should have gone for help before going in there."

"There was no time, Batman. There was no one around, only me."

As they turned the corner, the little girl came running towards them.

"Mr. Batman, I want to go." She complained.

"I'll take both of you back to your home." Batman said.

"We don't have a home. We live in St. Mary's orphanage." Richard said matter-of-factly.

A few minutes later, they were inside the Tumbler driving towards the orphanage. They arrived quickly, but by then the little girl had fallen asleep.

Batman parked in front of the orphanage.

"I'll carry her." He said.

Richard looked towards the building then back at Batman.

"Wait. I…I need to ask you a favor."

"A favor?" Batman inquired.

"Yes. Can you help me find the person that killed my Dad?"

* * *

The boy's words haunted Batman all the way home. His tragic story was so much like the one that Bruce himself experienced as a child. Alone in the world, the only thing on the boy's heart was grief, and the only thing on the boy's mind was making someone pay. The mother's killer was apprehended and back in Arkham. But, as far as the boy was concerned, the father's killer was still at large.

When John Grayson died, the police dismissed it as a tragic accident. But Richard Grayson did not believe so, even at that young age. He always saw his Dad check the ropes at least three times before every show. There was no way that the rope would have just snapped.

The night before the accident, Richard was out playing when he heard shouting from the circus owner's trailer. Curious, he got closer to the trailer, when suddenly, the door opened. Richard quickly ducked behind some boxes, peeking out to see what was going on. A fat man was walking out of the trailer, with the circus owner behind him.

"You're in Gotham now. You'll have to pay sooner or later." The fat man said angrily.

"Get out, before I call the police!" The circus owner replied. The other man laughed.

"You clearly do not know Gotham City."

"And I don't think I want to either."

"You just watch. It'll be a shame if something terrible happens in one of your shows. Something that could have been prevented."

"Is that a threat?" the circus owner asked, but the fat man smiled and walked away.

At the time, Richard did not think much of it, and did not mention the incident to his parents. But soon after the accident, the boy felt that the stranger had something to do with the rope breaking. That suspicion had only grown with the years.

The boy had begged Batman to investigate. It was not much to go by and almost three years had passed since the event, but Bruce looked in the boy's eyes and saw a reflection of himself. Behind the eyes he could see the sadness, fear, pain and anger that had so completely enveloped his soul since that terrible night after the opera.

"I'll look into it." he simply said, and that was apparently enough for the boy.

"Thank you." Richard had simply said as he got out of the car, convinced that the Batman would make things right.

"If only it were that easy."


	3. Anger

**Part 3: Anger**

_**Children are us before we are. And we are indelibly marked by how we mark them. **_

**- Andrew Vachss, Another Chance to get it Right**

Richard walked out to the car and opened the passenger door, but someone was already sitting in his seat.

"Who's this?" Richard asked Rachel.

"Richard. I'd like you to meet my friend, Bruce. He's going to accompany us today." Rachel Dawes said from the driver's seat.

"Hello, Richard" Bruce Wayne said, extending his hand. The boy shook it tentatively.

"Bruce?"

"Yes, Bruce Wayne. I'm sure you have heard of me."

"Well, duh. You're like Gotham's own ultra-millionaire. But why would you want to go to my belt test?"

"Well, if you get in the car, maybe we can talk about that."

Richard opened the back door and got in.

"So, you have all you need?" Rachel asked the boy.

"Yes."

"Ok then." She said, as she merged into traffic.

"So, Richard, Rachel tells me you're going to test for a black belt today, is that right?"

"You have not answered my question." The boy replied instead.

"Which was?"

"Why does a guy like Bruce-freakin'-Wayne want to spend a Saturday watching some orphan boy get a black belt?"  
"Richard…" Rachel scolded.

"That's ok. It's a fair question." Bruce responded. "I'll be honest with you, Rachel is making me do it. We have been friends since we were kids, and she is trying to convince me to donate a substantial amount of money to your orphanage. She said if I met one of the kids, namely you, I would be convinced. But I gotta tell you, so far I'm not very impressed."

"Bruce…" now she scolded him. He turned towards the boy in the back.

"I was joking about that last part, of course."

"Very funny." Richard responded.

"Well, now that we got that out of the way, we can get on with the day." Rachel said.

The rest of the day went smoothly. Richard passed all the tests and received his Tae Kwon Do black belt as Bruce and Rachel looked on. At one point, the boy even smiled.

"That was very impressive, Richard." Bruce told the boy when they were driving back to the orphanage.

"Thanks, Mr. Wayne. You do martial arts?"

"Oh, heavens no. That's what you get bodyguards for. But even I can see that you have talent."

"Cool. So, do we get the money?"

Bruce laughed. "The direct approach, I like that. I'd say that's a definite possibility."

"Thank you, Bruce." Rachel said.

"You're not so bad after all, Mr. Wayne." Richard said, recalling the news stories about Bruce Wayne's sometimes bizarre actions.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

They arrived at the front of the orphanage, and Rachel stopped in front of the building.

"You did great today, Richard. I'm very proud of you." She said.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Mrs. Dawes. They never would have let me go to practice by myself." He opened the door.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne. Bye, Rachel."

"Bye" they both said, as the boy got out and headed inside.

Rachel turned to Bruce.

"What do you think?"

"Seems like a good kid. I'll talk to Alfred. If there's a good family for Richard out there, Alfred will find it."

"Thanks."

"So, tell me about your new friend, Mr. new D.A. Harvey Dent."

"What is there to say?"

"I don't know, like who came up with that slogan: I believe in Harvey Dent, for one." Bruce said jokingly. Then, he turned serious.

"Is he for real?" he asked

"I believe he is." Rachel answered.

"I hope so. I need all the help I can get."

* * *

Johnny Viti was a bookkeeper for Sal Maroni, and Carmine Falcone before him. Recently retired, he sits by himself, watching the evening news. Suddenly, he hears the neighborhood dogs barking. Johnny is a veteran, so he knows to always be prepared. He gets up, turns off the TV, and walks to the closet. Quickly, he takes out his shotgun and loads it. He turns off all the lights, and waits in the dark. The sound of barking dogs eventually dies down, replaced by complete silence. Johnny looks all round, but sees only darkness. After a few minutes, he sighs and talks to himself.

"Getting jittery in old age, are we?" he mutters.

"I wouldn't say so." A raspy voice whispers next to him. Johnny turns towards the voice, but quick hands grab the shotgun and push Johnny to the floor. The moonlight squeezes in just enough to show Johnny an unmistakable silhouette.

"…you…what do you want? I'm out. Out!" Johnny mutters angrily.

Batman kneels next to him.

"I know, Johnny."

"Then what the hell do you want?"

"Information."

"I don't have any. I gave back all the ledgers."

"I'm sure you did. But I bet a man like you…made copies."

Johnny laughs nervously.

"I'm not that stupid. They would kill me if I had made any copies and they found out."

Batman leans in to within an inch of Johnny's face.

"And what do you think I'm going to do if you don't give me the copies?"

"You wouldn't"

"Try me."

Johnny hesitates, sucks in a huge breath of air, then speaks.

"Ok, ok, I'll give you what you want, but only if you never tell where you got it from."

"They'll never know, I promise."

Johnny points to the closet behind him.

"There. They're all here, behind the newspapers."

Batman risks a small smile. If they are lucky, Viti's books will tell them where the mob keeps their money, something that maybe Gordon can use to strangle their operations. And there is bound to be more useful information; God knows what else Viti kept records of. But Batman would soon find out.

* * *

Richard Grayson turned in his sleep, when suddenly, a hand covered his mouth. He woke up in a jolt to see a figure holding a finger to its mouth. The figure removed his hand, and Richard could now see who was towering over his bed.

"Batman?" he whispered.

"Come with me." Batman said. Richard rubbed his eyes groggily, then quickly sat up.

"You found him, the fat man?" Richard said. Batman nodded. Richard jumped out of bed and got dressed.

"I need to get something on the way out." He told Batman.

* * *

"I said you won't be needing that." Batman said, pointing at the wooden staff in Richard's hands.

"Hey, I got this staff after I got my black belt, and there was no way I was leaving it."

They were standing on a warehouse roof overlooking a smaller warehouse in the East Docks.

"I thought you would want to see this, to get some closure. But like I said already, your involvement is just that: looking. I am going in alone and that's the end of that." Batman said, and got close to the edge. "You stay here."

"You sure this guy, Zucco, killed my Dad?" Richard asked.

"Yes."

One of Johnny Viti's books had several entries dealing with the travelling circus where the Graysons worked. It indicated that a man named Tony Zucco had gone to the circus owner to exact the customary mob payment, but the man refused. The next day, Zucco asked Viti for acid strong enough to weaken rope. An entry dated the day after John Grayson died showed that payment was finally received from the circus owner.

"And you're sure he's in there."

"Without a doubt."

Tony Zucco now ran the East Dock operation for Sal Maroni. Batman had been tailing him and knew Zucco was the last one to leave each night. At this late hour, only Zucco and possibly two or three of his associates would be inside the warehouse.

"What if something goes wrong?" Richard asked.

"It won't" Batman replied, and then jumped. Richard looked on as the black figure descended softly on the roof of the adjoining warehouse.

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Richard said under his breath, and tightened his grip on the staff.

* * *

Two men entered Tony Zucco's office, looking a little impatient.

"Time to go home, boss?"

Tony Zucco looked up, then at his watch.

"Oh, look at that. Yes, I can finish this tomorrow."

Suddenly, a small red bulb lit up silently on the wall. Zucco immediately pointed at the light.

"We've got company, boys" Zucco whispered. The two bodyguards then took out their guns.

"Stay down, boss."

Zucco ducked behind his desk. The two men walked outside the office when suddenly a metal object shaped like a bat flew through the air and found its target: a hand holding a gun.

"Aargghh" the thug screamed in pain and dropped his gun. The second thug started shooting blindly at every sound inside the warehouse.

Zucco got up and opened the window behind his desk. He crawled out until he was hanging from the second-story window. He let go and fell in the gravel below.

"Oh no, oh no." he repeated to himself. "Get up, get up." He managed to stand up and started running as fast as he could. He silently cursed all the extra calzones he'd eaten over the years at Pino's.

"You can do this, man." He thought to himself. He did not see the small figure jumping from a nearby ledge until it was too late.

Richard Grayson landed on top of Zucco.

"You can't run away, fat man!" Richard shouted.

Zucco looked and saw a boy standing with a wooden staff.

"Ha, just a kid. I'll teach you to …" he said as he reached in for his gun.

Before he could finish, Richard swung the staff and swatted the gun away. Surprised, Zucco turned and started running again. Richard used the staff to vault and landed a flying kick on Zucco's back, leaving him sprawled on the gravel. Zucco wheezed loudly and tried to crawl away. Suddenly, he turned, laying face up on the ground, and put his hands over his chest.

" I…can't…breathe…" he said in gasps.

"You're faking. Get up!" Richard shouted, but the man continued to gasp for air. Richard stood back and lowered his staff. Just then, Batman came running, stood next to Richard for a second, and then crouched next to Zucco.

"…Batman…save…me…I…know…stuff…" Zucco was able to say.

"Calm down, Zucco." Batman said, and punched a button on his belt. "An ambulance will be here shortly."

"I didn't…I thought he was…" Richard mumbled.

"You didn't do anything wrong. Zucco's bad heart, he did that to himself." Batman said as he administered first aid to the man. "Don't worry, he'll survive, and hopefully will spend the rest of his life in jail."

* * *

Back at the orphanage days later, Richard Grayson hopes his Dad can now rest a little easier.

Deep inside, Richard thought that after finding the fat man, he would feel some sort of relief, or just vindication. But now that it is over with, he doesn't feel anything, he just feels numb. The other kids talk about some crazy clown guy killing people, even cops and judges, but it barely registers with Richard. He wouldn't be able to tell the passing of each day except for the fact that Rachel did not show up yesterday to take him to practice. She called and told him she was just too busy at work, and apologized. She promised next week would be different.

Next week arrives and once again Rachel is a no-show. But this time, there was no call. She's way busy, he thinks, remembering the news reports of the DA's office recent efforts to put Gotham's mob bosses in jail. A fleeting thought enters his mind, but he quickly pushes it away.

In the middle of the night, he is woken up by the sound of sirens. He looks outside and sees several police cars and fire trucks racing at full speed. Another night in Gotham, he thinks.

The following morning, he sits on a bench by himself.

"Richard" he hears someone say. Looking up, he sees a nun standing next to him. "Someone's here to see you."

He sees a familiar man walking towards him, and Richard's heart stops. The man thanks the nun, and sits next to Richard.

"Hi, Richard." Bruce Wayne says, but Richard does not look up. The words are stuck in Richard's throat. He holds them in, hoping that by not saying them, they won't be true.

Bruce Wayne similarly struggles with his words, not sure what to say or how to say it.

"Richard, we need to talk." He finally says. Richard still does not look up, but says, almost in a whisper.

"She's gone, isn't she?"

Bruce sighs, lowers his head.

"I'm sorry." He says

Richard feels the numbness go away, replaced by a deep pain in his heart. He swears that the room is slowly spinning, and feels pressure building up behind his eyes.

"I'd like to be alone, please." Richard manages to say.

"Are you sure?" Bruce asks, and the boy slowly nods.

"Richard, I know you don't know me very well, but believe me when I say that I'm here for you, okay?"

Richard nods.

"I have some…unfinished business I have to deal with immediately, but I promise I'll be back to check up on you once it's done."

Bruce puts an arm around the boy.

"I know how you feel, I've been there, I can help…." He feels the boy slightly trembling.

"Thank you." Richard whispers.

"You're going to be ok?" Bruce asks, and Richard nods. Bruce stands up slowly, all he wants to do is stay, but he understands and respects the boy's wishes to be alone.

"I'll see you soon, then."

No nod this time. Slowly, Bruce turns and walks away.

As Bruce's figure disappears in the long hallway, Richard's tears come once again. His whole body shakes as he buries his head in his arms. The feelings commingle into raw emotion: the losses too deep to endure, the sadness that rips his whole being, and the anger; the anger at this hellish city that has taken everything from him, at the scum of society that perpetrated it, and at himself. And that is perhaps the hardest of them to cope with: the anger at himself for not realizing that his Dad was in danger, for not staying with his mother in the apartment, for letting Rachel get close to him when he knows he's a cursed being destined to see all the people he loves die. He hears other kids walking by, whispering and snickering. He doesn't care. Until one of the nuns sees him, sits down and holds him, and he feels his soul crumble into a river of tears.


	4. Hope

**Part 4: Hope**

_If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. – __**Anne Bradstreet**_

Eighteen months after the old one was destroyed, the new Wayne Manor was finally finished. In true Bruce Wayne fashion, the occasion was marked by a party. However, this was no ordinary party, it was a charity event. The party was really for the kids of Gotham's rich and famous, and the recipient of the funds was the St. Mary's Group Home for Children.

Alfred coordinated the event and invited the most prominent citizens of Gotham and their kids. Carnival rides had been set up on the grounds. Music was playing over loudspeakers. A variety of entertainers were going to perform including a magician, and a group of jugglers; but no clowns. The people invited had to donate money to attend, and all of it would go to the orphanage.

But the guests of honor were not the actors, bankers and financiers. That honor was reserved for the children of St. Mary's. Alfred arranged for buses to bring the kids to the Manor, and the nuns made their best effort to control the kids' obvious excitement.

Bruce Wayne arrived late, as usual. His _other_ job had kept him busy lately. He looked in amazement at the grounds. I must congratulate Alfred on a job well done, he thought. Bruce walked around greeting people and thanking them for their donations.

At the other side of the yard, a group of kids sat talking about Bruce's _other_ job.

"Well, my Dad says Batman is a criminal." Pat Williams, the son of Gotham's most successful entrepreneur said.

"No he is not." James Jr., son of Commissioner Gordon, replied. "And _my_ Dad is the Police Commissioner, so I would know."

"Mom thinks the police are just too scared to arrest Batman." Lyla Gibbons, the daughter of a famous model chimed in.

"Yeah, I heard that he killed some cops or something, that's why there's scared of him". a chubby boy, the son of a famous plastic surgeon, offered.

Richard Grayson could not take it any longer. "None of you know the first thing about Batman."

"Do _you_?" Pat asked "And who _are_ you, anyway?"

"I'm one of the kids that you all paid money to help."

"An orphan." The chubby boy said.

"Yeah." Richard replied. "You have a problem with that?"

The boy shook his head.

"Have you even seen Batman?" Lyla asked with disdain.

"Yes, he's my friend."

The other kids laughed, except for Richard and Jimmy.

"Yeah, right!"

Richard was about to tell them where they could go, but decided against it. Instead, he stood up and walked away.

Sitting by the reflecting pond, he skipped rocks on the surface of the water.

"I've seen him too." Jimmy suddenly said, sitting next to Richard.

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh. He saved my life."

"Huh. Me too."

Jimmy offered his hand.

"I'm Jimmy, by the way."

Richard shook his hand.

"Richard."

The two 11-year olds sat and talked about stuff for a long while, until a younger girl interrupted them.

"There you are." Gordon's daughter said.

"Richard, this is my sister, Barbara." Jimmy said.

"Hi."

"Hi. What are you two doing? You're missing all the fun."

"It's ok, we can hear the music from here just fine."

Just then, Bruce approached the trio.

"Hey kids, your Dad is looking for you." He told the Gordon children.

"Ok." Jimmy said, turning to Richard. "Gotta go. See you around." he told Richard as he was walking away.

Richard waved goodbye, but said under his breath: "I doubt it". He knew that this taste of "high society" was only a temporary treat.

"Hi, Mr. Wayne." Richard told Bruce.

"Please, call me Bruce."

"…Bruce. Thanks for doing this. It looks like St. Mary's will be in good shape for some time."

"Yes, I hope so. Why are you all the way over here?"

Richard moved his shoulders up and down once.

"Come on, I want to show you the mansion." Bruce told the boy.

"Okay." Richard said, as he stood up and followed Bruce.

They walked in the house. Richard was awestruck: he had never seen so much luxury.

"Oh my God, you must have billions of dollars in the bank." Richard mused.

"You'll have to ask my accountant about that."

"This house is so cool." Richard exclaimed after they had seen the entertainment room.

"There's one more room I wanted to show you." Bruce said.

They went upstairs and Bruce opened the door to one of the bedrooms.

"Whose room is this?" Richard asked.

Bruce smiled. "Yours, if you want it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I had promised Rachel that we would find a good home for you. Well, I think I've found one. If you agree, I am offering to take you in as my legal ward."

Richard looked at Bruce, trying to understand what was going on.

"That's not funny, Mr. Wayne." He said.

"I'm not joking, Richard."

"You're serious?" Richard asked with skepticism.

"Yep."

The boy placed his hands behind his head.

"Why?" he finally asked.

"I know you're a good kid, and I also know what it's like to lose your parents. My parents died when I was young, but I was lucky to have Alfred to see me through. Now I want to do the same for you."

Bruce placed his hand in Richard's shoulder.

"I cannot bring your parents back, but I can give you the opportunity to start a new life. So, what do you say?"

A dumbfounded Richard just stood there with his mouth agape for several seconds.

"Thank you." was all he finally managed to say.

* * *

Bruce knocked on Richard's door quietly, not sure if the boy was already asleep. He heard a faint "come in" from inside. He opened the door and saw that Richard was reading a magazine with a flashlight.

"Alfred would not be happy if he found out you are still awake." Bruce said with a smile, but all he got back was a shrug.

"There's no school tomorrow" the boy said in his own defense.

"So, how was school today?"

"Good. Kinda boring."

As usual, Bruce could not obtain more than a few words out of the boy. A few weeks had passed since Bruce made him his ward, but Richard had yet to truly open up.

"Alfred said you may need some help with math?. Maybe I can get a private tutor to help you with it."

"That's ok, they have tutoring at school twice a week and Alfred already signed me up."

Bruce sat down at the edge of the big bed. He felt guilty about how little attention he had been able to pay Richard, but Batman had been needed a lot lately.

"So, do you like it here, Richard?"

"Of course, you have given me so much; I don't know how to thank you." Richard answered. Still, Bruce could feel that something was missing for the boy. He may have given Richard a house to live in, but he had yet to give him a _home_.

Bruce's thoughts were interrupted by Alfred, who silently walked into the room and tapped his shoulder.

"Sir, you have an urgent phone call from the office."

Alfred's tone made it perfectly clear to Bruce who the "phone call" was from.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take this." Bruce apologized and started walking out. "Good night, Richard".

"Good night." Richard answered and watched Bruce leave the room.

"And you should be asleep, Master Grayson". Alfred told him with a grin.

"I'm sorry. " Richard said as he put away the magazine and went to sleep.

* * *

Batman moved as silently as he could in the dark Gotham Sewers. He was here to hunt a monster with a name: Killer Croc. According to Jim Gordon, the man's name was Waylon Jones. Born with a rare disease that made his skin look like that of a crocodile, he was abandoned by his mother at a young age. Eventually, he joined the circus as a sideshow, filing his teeth like a crocodile and going by the circus name of "Killer Croc". As time went by, he started to act more violently, ending with a killing spree. Caught and sent to Arkham, he was "treated" by Dr. Crane, who infected him with the fear toxin. After escaping from Arkham during the Narrows incident, he took refuge in the Gotham sewers, where he was eventually found by Crane, now the Scarecrow. Using his toxin, he was able to control Croc for his own purposes.

Batman had encountered Killer Croc when he saved Cardinal O'Fallon in the sewers, after he'd been kidnapped by Scarecrow. During that first encounter, Batman was only able to fend off Killer Croc after shoving a grenade into its mouth.

With Scarecrow captured, Killer Croc was left directionless and still infected with the fear toxin, making him even more violent than before. He had already killed several homeless people, and had apparently resorted to cannibalism. Clearly, the situation had to be dealt with, and in secret, Jim Gordon turned to Batman for help. For weeks Batman had hunted the creature to no avail, but tonight a patrolman had heard some strange animal noises coming out of a particular manhole; maybe a false alarm but Batman needed to be sure.

The cavernous sewers seemed to go on forever, shrouded in darkness. The maze of interconnecting tunnels offered a perfect hideout for Croc, and Batman knew it. As he walked by one tunnel entrance, he heard the approaching figure one second before it hit him. Croc lunged out of a dark tunnel and towards Batman with a feral scream. Batman braced for the impact, holding on to Croc as they both rolled into the dark water. Croc tried to bite Batman's shoulder, but the reinforced plates kept the teeth from penetrating. Batman was able to throw the man off, but Croc immediately attacked again, slashing wildly, landing a brutal hit to Batman's right oblique. Batman winced, but quickly gathered himself just as Croc came back for another swing. This time, Batman ducked out of the way, then punched Croc hard, extracting a wounded howl. He followed up with a brutal kick, which pushed Croc back and gave Batman the space he needed.

Batman quickly took out the gas bomb, and threw it just as he donned a half-mask. Immediately, a cloud of smoke engulfed Killer Croc. The smoke had a strong tranquillizer, strong enough for even Croc. Jones flailed for a few minutes, but moved slower and slower, until he fell down. As the smoke cleared, Batman took off his half-mask, and wondered how he would manage to carry the large man out of the sewers and into custody.

* * *

The next morning, Bruce Wayne squinted as the bright light invaded his vision.

"Good morning, Master Wayne." Alfred said, as he finished opening the curtains.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Eleven-thirty, sir, and the game starts at one."

"The game?" Bruce asked.

"Baseball game, sir, the one you are taking Master Grayson to."

"That's today?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, I hardly got any sleep. I didn't come in until early this morning."

"Really? I didn't notice, sir." Alfred said ironically. "Your breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes. The rest of us are having lunch." He said as he walked out of the room.

* * *

"So, are you having a good time?" Bruce asked Richard while watching the baseball game.

"Yeah. Seats are great." He responded. The seats were behind home plate, only one row from the field.

"I'm sorry that we have not had a chance to talk much. My work keeps me busy all day."

"And night" the boy added.

"Well, my nights are spent socializing rather than working." Bruce said, subconsciously rubbing his sore right oblique.

"So I've heard." Everybody in Gotham, including Richard, knew Bruce Wayne was the city's golden party boy.

The two sat in silence during most of the game.

* * *

"How was the game?" Alfred asked the pair as they walked in.

"Good, we won." Richard responded. He turned towards Bruce. "Thank you, Bruce."

"You're welcome." He responded. The boy headed up to his room. Bruce sat down on the sofa as Alfred stood next to him.

"It's ironic, Alfred. I can fight a crocodile man but I can't get an 11-year old boy to talk. I don't know what to do."

"Patience, Master Wayne." Alfred said "Just give the boy some time to adjust. He's been through a lot at such a young age."

"I know."

"Why don't I give it a try? I have some experience with reclusive young boys." Alfred said, patting Bruce's shoulder.

"Thanks."

Alfred walked upstairs to Richard's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Richard said.

"Master Grayson, I wanted to see if you needed anything."

"Please, call me Richard."

"Very well, Master Richard."

Alfred saw a red and yellow costume on a chair.

"What's this?" he asked, taking it in his hands. The costume was a red vest, green shorts, and a small yellow cape.

"That's my old circus costume. From when we were the "Flying Graysons".

"And what did the Flying Graysons do in the circus?"

"We were trapeze artists. My mom and dad started teaching me, probably when I was still in diapers." Richard sat down on the bed, suddenly talking in an animated fashion. "I did my first show when I was only seven, you know."

"Wow, that's impressive."

"Yeah, by the time I was eight, I could do a triple somersault. It was awesome."

"What does the "R" stand for?" Alfred asked, pointing to a big "R" letter stitched on the left side of the vest.

"My dad said it was "R" for Richard."

"And your mom?"

"My mom used to say it stood for "Robin".

'Robin, for Robin Hood?"

"That's what I used to tell people because it sounded kind of cool, but no. When I was a baby, she would call me her little Robin because I was born on the first day of spring."

"Well, that's interesting."

"Yeah." Richard said, his mind wandering back to his childhood.

"So what are you going to do with the costume?"

"I don't know. It won't fit now, but I didn't want to throw it away."

"Tell you what. I can take it to a place where they'll put it in a glass case, and you can keep it for decoration."

"Really? That'd be cool."

"Well, it's settled then."

"Thank you, Mr. Alfred."

"No need to thank me, young master." Alfred said, neatly folding the costume. "So tell me, how you like it here so far?" he asked the boy.

"It's good."

"But…"

"What do you mean?"

"I have been around the block a few times, young man. I can tell something is bothering you."

"Nothing is bothering me, well, not exactly _bothering_."

"Oh?"

Richard looked towards the hallway.

"Master Wayne is downstairs. Richard, you can tell me anything and I will keep it between ourselves."

"Ok. It's just I keep waiting for the punch line, you know? When somebody's gonna come in and say "sorry kid, we were just kidding. You really thought you'd be taken in by a multimillionaire?"

"And why do you think that's going to happen?"

"Because I know I'm just not that lucky. I mean, everybody that cared about me is dead." Richard said. "and all because of me" He added under his breath.

"Well, I can assure you that some of us do care about your well-being. And I will tell you something else" Alfred said, placing a hand in Richard's shoulder. "What happened to your parents, and to Mrs. Dawes, was not your fault. It was the criminals that are to blame, and them alone. You understand?"

After a second, Richard nodded.

"Even so, why does somebody like Bruce Wayne care about me?" Richard asked. "He hardly knows me. Sure, he met me because of Rachel, and he visited a few times after she died, but why me? There's other kids he could have taken in that deserved it more."

"He _is_ providing considerable money and resources to help _all_ the kids at the orphanage. And as to why you, I won't presume to know what Master Wayne is thinking, but I think he sees a lot in common with you."

"With me?"

"Yes. Master Wayne also lost both his parents at a young age."

"Yeah, he told me."

"Did you know they were killed by a criminal?"

"No, I didn't know. Just like my parents." Alfred nodded.

"I raised Master Wayne and I know how hard it is for a boy like you to go through such an experience. He struggled a lot with it, and I believe he wants to help you the same way I helped him."

"I guess that makes sense. It's just, I can't quite figure him out. The guy you see on TV is so different from the Bruce I see in person."

"Master Wayne's life is…complicated. One day, hopefully, you'll understand why. But in the meantime, I can assure you that his heart is in the right place. Perhaps you can try to get to know him some more and you can see for yourself."

"I would if he was ever at home." Richard said grudgingly.

"He has many responsibilities to attend to, but he is trying."

Richard was silent for a second.

"Ok, I'll give him a chance."

"Very well." Alfred said, heading towards the door.

"And for the record, young sir, nobody's going to come take you away. This _is_ your home now and nothing will change that."

"It's just seems too good to be true."

"Well, sometimes things that seem too good to be true are in fact true."

"Let's hope you're right."

"Oh, one thing you will learn about me, Master Grayson, is that I'm _never_ wrong." Alfred said with a grin.

"_Ah, there it is_." Alfred thought to himself when he saw the boy smile back.

* * *

Author notes:

(1) There is some inconsistency between _Batman Begins_ and _The Dark Knight_ in regards to Gordon's children. _Begins_ shows Gordon's wife feeding a baby. However, _Knight_ shows them having two kids, a boy and a girl, of ages around 8-11. I used _Knight _for reference, and assumed Jimmy was about 10 years old, and his sister about a year or so younger.

(2) Batman encountered Killer Croc in the DVD Batman: Gotham Knight, which is set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.


	5. Trust

**Chapter 5: Trust**

**Part 5: Trust**

"_**To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved."**_**George MacDonald**

* * *

"Hey guys." Bruce said as he walked in the entertainment room. Inside, Richard and Jimmy were playing video games on the big screen.

"Bruce? You're home early." Richard answered.

"I decided to call it a day and take you to your practice."

"_You're_ taking me to Karate?"

"Yep. And you should start getting ready if you want to make it. Jimmy, we can drop you off on the way or I can have Alfred do it."

"I'll go with you guys if that's ok." Jimmy answered. Bruce had asked Commissioner Gordon if Jimmy could come by the house after school once in a while, seeing as the boys went to the same school and no kids lived near Wayne Manor.

"Ok, then. Finish up and let's go." Bruce said and walked out.

Jimmy turned towards Richard.

"You think we're gonna ride in the Lamborghini?" Bruce had decided to buy a new one instead of repairing the one that he totaled saving Reese.

"Probably."

"Cool!" Jimmy said excitedly, while Richard smiled.

Things had been going ok for Richard. School was good, he was spending more time with Bruce, and he stopped worrying about someone coming to take him away. He'd started going to martial arts again and was doing well. His life seemed to have finally taken a turn for the best.

* * *

That night, Richard was watching TV in his room. There was nothing on, so he left the TV on a celebrity gossip show while he fell asleep. Suddenly, the announcer had his full attention.

"Has Bruce Wayne turned into a good Samaritan? Celebrity News has learned that Bruce Wayne, Gotham's own golden boy, has taken in an orphan into his house. We have learned that the young boy is from one of Gotham's orphanage. A source indicated that the boy's name is Richard, but that is all we know at this point. As we have reported in the past, Bruce Wayne's name is synonymous in Gotham for extravagance and wealth. His parties are the thing of legend, and he seems to spend his time dating the most beautiful women in the world. So, is Mr. Wayne starting to give back to the community? Or perhaps, as some here have suggested, he saw that other celebrities recently adopted children from poor countries and he did not want to be upstaged? Based on Wayne's history, that explanation seems to us much more likely"

"Shut up." Richard said as he turned off the TV. He decided to go to sleep, but he could not do it, as one thought kept bouncing inside his head.

The next morning, Alfred knocked on Richard's door, but there was no answer. He opened it and walked in, only to find an empty bed.

* * *

It was late at night in the Narrows. Richard did not know why he came here, other than the fact that he used to live here. He had no plan on what to do now, but he was too angry to care. He felt like a publicity pawn, a trinket used in Bruce's effort to convince the world he was a good person.

The streets were deserted for the most part, with only the occasional car zooming by. Richard entered a dark alleyway looking for a place to lie down. He could figure out his next move in the morning. He found some boxes next to a dumpster and placed them on top of each other; an improvised bed. Sitting down with his back to a wall, he took out one of the candy bars he had taken before leaving the Mansion.

Suddenly, he heard a scream coming from the far end of the alleyway. He froze for a second, but then quickly reacted. He stuffed the bar back in his pocket and started running towards the scream. As he got close, Richard slowed down and moved stealthily towards the screams. He ducked behind some trash cans and silently peeked. A skinny man was forcibly restraining a woman on the ground. Richard almost gasped when he recognized him as the same man that had threatened Rachel and him the night that Scarecrow's gas was released in the Narrows.

"Shut up, you whore! Still think you're too good for me?" Zsaz laughed as he took out a knife and lowered it toward the woman's neck.

"No!" the woman screamed.

"Scream all you want, no one gives a damn in the Narrows." Zsaz replied as he mockingly moved the knife in front of the woman's neck.

"Hey!" A voice said behind Zsaz. He turned his head, and a broomstick hit his face. The man yelled out in pain. Quickly, Richard hit Zsaz's hand and the knife went flying towards a corner.

Richard yelled, as he started hitting the man repeatedly with the broomstick.

Suddenly, Zsaz recovered from the surprise, grabbing the stick with both hands. Richard struggled to hold on to it, he pried it away from the boy and threw it on the ground.

"Bad move, you little shit!" Zsaz shouted defiantly, lunging towards Richard. He threw a punch but Richard dodged it. He kicked Zsaz's leg and threw a punch, but Zsaz deflected it, and hit Richard instead with a left hook. Richard ignored the pain, and threw a barrage of punches, most of which found their intended target. Richard was quick, landing kicks and punches in fast progression. But Zsaz was a mob hitman and not an easy prey. He punched the boy's stomach hard. Richard fell to the ground and Zsaz kicked him, throwing him against some metal trash cans.

"You little punk! Don't you know who I am?" Zsaz quickly grabbed his knife and walked menacingly towards Richard. "Now I kill you slow." He growled.

Richard felt light-headed, but knew he had to fight back now or he was a goner. He grabbed a trash bag and threw it at Zsaz, who swatted it away with amusement.

"I love it when they fight back." Zsaz laughed.

Richard continued throwing whatever he could find nearby at Zsaz, but he kept getting closer and closer. When we was just a few feet away, Richard extended his arms and pleaded with Zsaz.

"Please mister, I'm sorry!" Richard begged, bringing a smile to Zsaz's face.

Then suddenly, Richard violently kicked Zsaz's left knee.

"Aarggh, you mother…!"

Almost immediately, Richard landed a hard kick to Zsaz's groin area, who screamed and fell on the floor in a fetal position.

"I know exactly who you are, you stupid idiot." Richard told the cringing man on the floor. He remembered that night in the Narrows very well.

* * *

Bruce Wayne had been driving around Gotham all day and night looking for Richard. As he drove by the Narrows, he heard shouting coming from an alleyway. He quickly stopped the car and got out. As he approached the scene, he heard a familiar voice.

"Are you okay?" Richard was asking a woman. A man was recoiling on the ground a few feet away.

"Yes, thank you." The woman replied.

"Richard!" Bruce exclaimed. Richard saw Bruce, but did not say anything. Instead he turned back towards the woman.

"You sure?" the woman nodded.

Bruce was now standing behind Richard.

"Is he your son?" the woman asked Bruce.

"No." Richard answered before Bruce could say anything.

Bruce called the cops anonymously and tied Zsaz to a lightpole. Trying to explain the situation to the cops would bring suspicion, and he was sure Zsaz would not say anything either; his reputation would be ruined if people knew he was taken down by a child.

"Let's go back to the Mansion." Bruce told Richard.

"No way." Richard answered.

"Well, at least let me take you somewhere safe."

Richard frowned for a second, and then silently got in the car, followed by Bruce.

"Richard" Bruce said slowly as he drove. "I know why you ran away."  
"Do you?"  
"What that reporter said is not true."

"No? Because everything suddenly made sense. You're all about getting attention, and what better way than pretending to be a good Samaritan, get people talking about what a good person you are. And you laughing in secret, knowing that it's all bullshit."

"Is that what you think? After all this time, you are just going to believe what some guy on TV says?"

'I don't know what to believe."

"When I took you in my home, it was not as some publicity stunt. I did it because I've been through pain just like you, and I wanted to help you through that." Bruce paused, then added: "And I also did it to fulfill my promise to Rachel that I would find a good home for you." Bruce was silent then, as his mind wandered to his lost friend.

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"You're just going to have to trust me, Richard." Bruce said simply.

The boy was quiet for several minutes as he slowly calmed down. He thought of the day before when Bruce took him to class. He truly seemed like he cared. He was either a very good actor, or else he honestly wanted to help Richard. And surely Alfred would not stand for it if Bruce was only using him as a goodwill pawn. Suddenly, Richard felt ashamed; he felt butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm…I'm sorry I ran away." Richard said finally in a low voice.

"It's ok." Bruce said.

* * *

Bruce was silent during the rest of the ride home. Richard was suddenly scared that he was mad at him. When they finally made it home, they walked inside to find Alfred on the phone.

"You found him, thank God. Are you okay, Master Grayson?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry."

"We're just glad you are safe, aren't we, Master Wayne?"

Bruce did not reply. Instead, he looked at Richard with a serious face.

"I have to show you something, Richard." He said, walking towards the study. Richard followed two steps behind. Richard looked back at Alfred, but the Englishman just looked on as they walked away.

Bruce paused by the piano. He turned towards Richard.

"Earlier, I told you to trust me. Now I realize, I need to follow my own advice." He touched some notes on the piano, and one of the bookcases suddenly moved. Bruce opened the panel like a door and signaled Richard to follow him. Richard saw what appeared to be an elevator of some sort. They got in and it started travelling down.

"Oh my God, I knew it, I just didn't believe it." Richard suddenly said.

"What?" Bruce asked, as the elevator approached its destination.

"The bruises, you never being here at night, what Rachel said…"

"Rachel?" Bruce asked.

"When Batman saved us that night in the Narrows, after the fear gas attack. Batman jumped, and I thought I heard Rachel say something. I thought it was just my imagination, but it sounded like she said…"

The elevator stopped and Bruce opened the door.

"…Bruce." Richard said, as he saw the batpod in the background.

He turned towards Bruce.

"You're Batman."

"Yes."

"Awesome."

Richard walked around, admiring the computers and gadgetry. He stopped in front of the Batman costume.

"Richard, nobody else can know about this, do you understand?"

"Absolutely. Bruce, thanks for telling me."

Bruce nodded.

Bruce showed him around the cave, and Richard asked many questions. Richard was so excited that he seemed to be bouncing around instead of walking. After a while, Bruce headed towards the elevator.

"I'm sorry; you must be so hungry and tired. Let's go back up and get some food."

Bruce noticed that Richard was just standing in place, in deep thought.

"Richard?"

"I want in." the boy finally said.

"What? You are in, I've told you everything."

"No, you don't understand. I want to go out there with you. I want to be your partner."

Bruce gave out a loud laugh.

"Richard, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you're twelve years old."

"I can take care of myself" Richard said defiantly.

"If you'd seen the things I have seen, you wouldn't say that." Bruce responded, the Joker and Killer Croc still fresh in his mind.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Bruce."

"Even if that were true, Richard, the answer's still the same. Look, it took me seven years abroad to become Batman." As soon as he said it, Bruce knew that was not really true. In a way, he stated becoming Batman the night his parents were killed.

"Then teach me." Richard said "Train me so that one day I can be like you."

"You don't want to be like me."

"And what if I do? Don't you see? Me being here, that can't be just chance. This is what I'm supposed to do. I have so much anger and pain that sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode. I need to do this Bruce. I _need_ this. Not just for me, but for my parents…and for Rachel."

Bruce was about to tell Richard that he did not have time for training a 12-year old boy. But looking at the kid in front of him reminded Bruce of himself, struggling with so many emotions and trying to make sense of a cruel world.

"Maybe it's just a phase" thought Bruce. "Perhaps a temporary way to let out some steam. And he _did _take out Zsaz…"

"_Please._" Richard said. Bruce sighed.

"If we do this, we do it my way. Your schooling obviously takes precedence. And there will be no crime fighting, with or without me, until I say so. I'm not talking a few months, Richard I'm talking years. I'll train you now and when you become a man, you can choose what you want to do with the rest of your life."

"Deal." Richard said. "I just have one request."

"A request?" Bruce said incredulously.

"I want to have a code name, you know, like Batman."

"A code name?" Bruce said with a smile.

"Yeah. I already have one picked out in my mind."

"Really? What is it then?" Bruce asked half-jokingly.

"Robin. Like my mom used to call me." Richard answered. Bruce was silent, then extended his hand out to the boy, and Richard shook it.

"Very well, then. Batman and Robin."

* * *

BATMAN AND ROBIN BEGINS

**Biology does not make a man a father- nor a woman a mother. **

**We are what we **_**do**_**.**

**- Andrew Vachss, Another Chance to get it Right**

* * *

**EPILOGUE:**

_**Four years later**_

Eight-year-old Tim Drake walked out to the roof of his building, only to find a strange figure there. It was a young man, dressed in a black costume with a red wing-like shape going from shoulder to shoulder, a mask covering part of his face, and a black cape.

"Whoa. Who are you?" Tim asked.

"I'm Batman's partner, Robin."

"Huh? I didn't know he had a partner."

"Well, I've been partner-in-training for a while, but just got promoted recently."

"Cool. How do you get a job like that anyway?"

"With lots of hard work and patience, kid." Richard answered, recalling the three years of training with Bruce, the year studying and training abroad with Master Li, not to mention the Poison Ivy incident two years ago.

Suddenly, Batman emerged from the shadows.

"Let's go." He told Robin. "Looks like the Riddler's finally home."

"Be good, kid." Robin told the boy, as he turned towards Batman.

"Tim. My name's Tim."

Robin paused, took out one of his wing-shaped shurikens and gave it to the boy.

"Nice to meet you, Tim." Robin said.

Robin then ran towards the edge of the building, where Batman was waiting, and the two of them jumped down.

Tim ran towards the edge, and saw as the two figures opened up their capes as wings, and glided in the night sky.

"Wow, I know what I want to be when I grow up." The boy said, as the dark knight and the boy wonder disappeared from sight.

* * *

_Thanks for reading my story! Special thanks to the folks that reviewed previous chapters, and those that added this story to their favorites. It is good to be able to play in a cool world like Nolan's Batman universe, but knowing that others are also enjoying your story makes it that much cooler. _

_Please leave me a review and let me know what you think of the completed story! _

Javier


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